Yesterday I told Big Poppa, “I’m not baking every single day, you know!” He’s been pilfering desserts from the counter and freezer bringing goodies to work, and wowing some people with vegan treats…. apple cider donuts, banana bread, almond butter chocolate chip cookies, cornbread, jelly donuts (that my oldest said were as good as Krispy Kreme), chocolate-chocolate cookies…

Today, I didn’t bake. Tonight, a serious chocolate craving overtook me. I’m pretty sure it was cruel karma. I probably could have satisfied my craving with a robust glass of wine, but I still have to pick my middle one up from karate, and I don’t drink anything if I have to drive. As a fellow karate mom says, “This four nights a week karate schedule really interferes with my drinking.”

So… I was rifling around in the cabinet for the ingredients to make my own chocolate bar. Yes! You can make your own vegan chocolate bars with just a few ingredients, and in just a few minutes (insert infomercial smile here)! As I was feeling about in the pantry for the cocoa, my hand lingered on a small foil package. Small foil packages, hidden on the coffee,tea, and cocoa shelf, can only mean one thing… SECRET STASH… a forgotten few squares of a cranberry chocolate bar a friend brought back from Switzerland.

I did the only reasonable thing. I ate the secret stash, while I created my heart-healthy, heart-shaped chocolate bar, that needs to go in the freezer to firm up. The photos attached to the recipe, that I found online, looked like the Brazilian (delectable) treat colloquially known as ‘shit balls’ so I decided to use this sweet ramekin instead. It tasted pretty good going into the freezer, we’ll see how long I can wait to take it out…